New Britain Teen Sought In Southington Killings

SOUTHINGTON — Marco Camacho, a New Britain teen with an extensive juvenile record, is believed by police to be the gunman who slaughtered four people last Wednesday inside an upscale Southington home.

Police obtained a warrant Sunday afternoon charging Camacho, 17, with four counts of murder and one count each of capital felony murder, first-degree larceny, possession of a stolen firearm and criminal use of a stolen gun. Camacho could face the death penalty if convicted of the charges.

FOR THE RECORD - Correction published October 1, 1996.Seventeen-year-old Marco Camacho, a suspect in the slaying of four people in Southington last week, would not face the death penalty if convicted of the charges he faces, including capital felony. A story on Page 1 Monday incorrectly stated the possible maximum penalty.

Bail was set by the court at $5 million.

Police asked the public to help hunt down Camacho, whose last known address was 56 Sexton St. Dozens of police scoured New Britain the past few days for the suspect. Officers have also gone to New York City, where Camacho, a Bronx native, has family and where a car of one of the victims was found abandoned.

``We're appealing to the public for assistance,'' state police Cmdr. Kenneth Kirschner said during a press conference at 8 p.m. inside Southington police headquarters. ``He may be in the New York City area but we don't know for certain. If you see him, use extreme caution. Do not try to stop him yourself. Contact the nearest police officer.''

Camacho is 5-foot-10, 150 pounds, with dark eyes; he has dark hair, but his head is shaved. The latest photo ID police had of him was a New Britain High School identification card. But police said it wasn't clear whether he attended school.

Anyone with information can call state police at (203) 238-6234 or (800) 842- 0200, or Southington police at (860) 621- 0101.

Kirschner said police notified the victims' families Sunday afternoon that an arrest warrant had been signed at 3:30 p.m. for a murder suspect.

News of the break in the case came as family and friends grieved for the dead. Barrows was buried Saturday. Joanne Votino will be buried today and her father on Tuesday. Services for Suszynski will be private.

The arrest warrant was sealed, Kirschner said. For that reason, police would not comment on possible motives or expand on earlier police statements that drugs might be a factor in the killings. He did say it did not appear to be gang- related, although police believe Camacho was a member of a New Britain street gang. Police said Camacho had the nickname ``killer'' but couldn't say how he had gotten it.

Police would not say why they thought the teen was in the house of Votino, who had a manufacturing business on his 4- acre property.

``There may be other arrests in this,'' Kirschner said. ``The investigation is still continuing.''

``Now that we have a warrant, we will track him to the ends of the Earth,'' Lt. John Mannion of the state police said. ``We have the FBI coming in to help. They have a federal warrant charging him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Southington Police Chief William Perry said seven Southington and 40 state police detectives have been working the case since Wednesday, with some officers working more than 30 hours without a break.

``We had no suspects on day one, so to reach this point in four days is gratifying,'' Perry said.

Police are testing a gun suspected of being the weapon used in the killings, he said. It was recovered Friday in an undisclosed New Britain location by someone who police sources said apparently was in the Votino home with Camacho.

Police are also checking Votino's 1996 Jeep for clues. The leased car, missing from the Votino home since the slayings, was spotted abandoned on a Bronx street by a New York City officer, who checked the license plate and found the car was being sought by police in Connecticut investigating a homicide.

``It was the result of basic police work,'' said Mannion, commander of the Central Connecticut Major Crime Squad that is working with Southington police on the case. ``That's what we used to develop the information that lead us to this point. Basic police work. We conducted dozens of interviews, checking out what we learned and re-interviewing people.''

Mannion said police had learned that Camacho had numerous arrests as a juvenile, but apparently none as an adult.